HOW TO GET INTO STANFORD

Hey friends, thanks for visiting my channel! I hope you enjoy this little video filled with my unsolicited advice about getting into Stanford and college in general. If you did, be sure to subscribe for more content like this.
Also, if you would like to solicit advice in video form or otherwise, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact me by email at [e-mail].
Things I mentioned in this video:
*Praeteritio*: That's how my teacher taught me to pronounce it--it could be wrong. Also grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/Prae... (definition creds)
Intel STS: Intel Science Talent Search, a major student research competition. (learn more: www.intel.com/content/www/us/e...)
REI: Lol, it's an outdoor sports store. (learn more: www.rei.com/)
RSI: Research Science Institute, a highly selective research program for high school students, thought to guarantee admission into an Ivy League school. (learn more: www.cee.org/research-science-i...)
Siemens: A major student research competition. (learn more: www.siemens-foundation.org/pro...)
AMC, AIMEE, USAMO, IMO: Levels of major math competitions in the US and internationally. (learn more: www.maa.org/math-competitions)
NACLO, ILO: North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad and the next level, International Linguistics Olympiad--major linguistics competitions. (learn more: www.nacloweb.org/)
Setup:
Camera: Canon Rebel EOS T2i (paid $280 for it used on Amazon)
www.amazon.com/Canon-T2i-Camer...
Mic: TakStar Shotgun Mic (paid $25 for it new)
www.amazon.com/TAKSTAR-SGC-598...
Tripod: Amazon's basic tall tripod (paid $25 for it new)
www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-60...
Lighting: Natural, but I see it needs work. Comment if you got any tips my friends.
That's all for now! If I missed something please alert me and I will add it to the description.
See you soon!
P.S. GO VEGAN!

[@danielledupreez]

Hey guys! Shameless self promotion, but if you're interested in having me edit your college essays at an affordable price ($20 for a standard Common App essay), then please check out my website: danielledupreez.com/ (and still feel free to email me anytime!)

[@danishsharma4481]

Dope

[@kylenoe2234]

Nice side hustle. Hope it pays off for you. I edited college essays myself...didn't make much money off the side hustle but it didn't feel awarding to proclaim authority in this arena.

[@bexultanmyrzatay7588]

"Even if you are applying to the top university, you are probably more than capable of being a good student." Damn, that is a point.

[@MaceyRosalie]

You have the sweetest personality and this video was perfection

[@sakumollyinter]

My favorite college video ever, speaking from a student who was applying to college and now a year later.

[@oliverlikescheetos]

Admissions can be very random at times. My brother got in as a junior transfer to Berkeley last year and didn't attend. He reapplied this year with an identical application and was awarded the regents and chancellors scholarship to top entering students. Weird. I totally agree with your statement about "whoever was your admissions officer that day chose someone else"

[@salluz6200]

Seriously, thank you for this video. I'm last minute applying for REA at Stanford and I loved your advice at the end about it not being a huge deal to get in, just cuz of the name. And all of your other advice was awesome too! You seem like a top notch person and I can definitely see why Stanford would want you at their school! I hope your college career is off to a great start :)

[@mackyronni]

That awkward moment when Stanford isn't Ivy League

[@HardCoreCAGaming]

Yeah but you know what she meant. Stanford is the same caliber of the 8 Eastern schools that share an athletic conference.

[@khalilclemens1560]

it isn't, but only because its not in the region as the 8 universities.

[@pikmin4000]

thats not the reason!

[@khalilclemens1560]

Andrew Hoyt yes yes it is

[@pikmin4000]

I thought Ivy League was an athletic conference on America's oldest colleges. The region is only an afterthought?

[@HardCoreCAGaming]

i watched the whole video then I heard that you are TURNING DOWN STANFORD? wow. wow. wow. Totally respect your decision, thank you for the advice and helping me chill a bit more lol

[@HardCoreCAGaming]

Update; was accepted early action but I will be attending. This video was HELPFUL AS FUCK

[@danielledupreez]

+Arielle Williams Wow, I just saw this. So awesome! Congratulations and I hope you have a great experience at Stanford!

[@maggyhovden6993]

Arielle Williams hi! Would u mind sharing your stats with me? Do u think you're essays really sold the admissions people? I've got great stories to tell in my essays but my stats are on the low side. Do u think applying early decision helped your chance? Thanks!

[@victoriasomething6747]

Arielle Williams omg shit I'm late but CONGRADULATIONS.

[@djoneaelliot4822]

Arielle Williams nxng

[@__8023]

"I think Stanford is by far the best Ivy League school"

[@Nanami_X_Higurama]

It's not an ivy league 🙂

[@julia-pw8fz]

@@Nanami_X_Higurama that's the joke duud

[@Izzi912]

This honestly makes me feel so much better thank you

[@dashapalenova1824]

Thank you sunshine! You are the person who actually energizes and inspires me instead of making me want to lock myself in the bathroom and never leave its cold tiles. Guys, could anyone please read my essay? I would really appreciate to hear if it tells you something about who I am, and I'd love to learn about you as well c: Cheers!

[@_dtm116]

Good video! I am a incoming Junior and thinking about applying ED, your advice helped me a lot!

[@MoonLight-rq6ub]

Thank you for your advice, you say everything I'm wondering now about how to get into Stanford and the last part is everything I needed to hear today. I been feeling overwhelmed about going to college (I'm transferring from community college) I'll do my best in order to decide where I want I to go. It would be great if you make the video about why you didn't go to Stanford. 😊

[@lolaibrahim2402]

This video was so helpful and honestly calmed me down so much thank you

[@samarthkalraVEVO]

You are an amazing person! Soo inspirational.

[@maggyhovden6993]

Thanks so much for this video. I was nervous that I shouldn't even apply to stanford cuz my GPA & ACT are lowish. I'll definitely give it a chance now!

[@ChickNoss]

I'm in 7th grade I'm going to college in 5 years. I'm just here because I wanted to search up Stanford Pines

[@sekarnityasa3129]

Shikamaru Nara your shadow jutsu would really shine in your college app man

[@Nanami_X_Higurama]

How are you now ???

[@user-nm4pq4kc3u]

1 more year dude

[@robertofritze1907]

these videos give me hope

[@dysonsphere3005]

Thank you for your advice.

[@WelaSA]

OHHHH MY GOODNESS!! I am South African and you just said that you're South African and this has just given my so much hope!! 😭😭😭 could you please do a video on applying to Ivies as an international student from South Africa ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@danielledupreez]

Oh my gosh, unfortunately I did not apply as an international student because I've lived in America most of my life and was a permanent resident at the time I applied to colleges!

[@victoriasomething6747]

I'm 12 so obviously not even close to college yet but your videos are still interesting so here I am.

[@maggyhovden6993]

Wow this video helped decrease my stress levels so much. Thank you!

[@danielledupreez]

Good to hear

[@audioswappindm2555]

OMG I WAS SO SHOCKED WHEN YOU SAID DANCE MOMS I LOVE IT SO MUCH LOL

[@danielledupreez]

ikr greatest show ever, people don't understand

[@oneofthetrasians]

This is a very nice video. Perhaps a little too idealistic and definitely aimed at a specific audience but yeah it made me feel good about myself.

[@ashacherukuri4241]

This is the BEST "how to get into (fill ur fav) college" video eva!!! It inspired me to stop overthinking and just friggin apply. Upto about 20 minutes ago I wasn't gonna apply to a top tier college..... But now, I've decided to show them my awesomeness! Thank you for the motivation I may have never got if not for ur video!

[@danielledupreez]

+Asha Cherukuri I'm glad to hear that! Show them your awesomeness 💁💁

[@ashacherukuri4241]

+AP Queen I was wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a few of my questions.... I live in India, a place where extra curricular is pretty much nonexistent , that is unless you go to an international school here (which I don't go to), I go to a school that is totally academically oriented. So, we have no clubs or community service. All I do is music( Indian classical vocal and violin) . Will this make my chances of getting in slimmer? Also, my school doesn't offer ap courses like high schools in USA, does me not having done ap courses also my chances slimmer? It's ok if you don't know, I just was wondering.....

[@preranasunil2434]

hey, I live in India too and I know EXACTLY what you're talking about! its the same case with me since I don't go to an international school and my high school is also completely academically oriented. but something I discovered is that you can take the AP exams without taking the actual courses. You can self-prepare for them. There are a couple of websites which can guide you like khanacademy.org and edx.org .....hope that helps

[@ashacherukuri4241]

+Prerana Sunil thanks but now it's too late to take the exam because it only happens once a year, in May, and I'm in 12th grade.... It's great to know that there other people like me, not going to an international ( ib) school, and applying :)

[@danielledupreez]

Asha Cherukuri You shouldn't be penalized for opportunities that were not available to you!

[@brandonplowman8125]

js someone wrote their essay on free samples @ Costco and was accepted to Stanford so REALLY dont overthink it...

[@jilliannetzel1399]

im only a freshman in higschool. is it weird that im watching this? Like Stanford is my dream school. Im not 16 yet so i cant volunteer at a hospital, which i i really really want to do (plus i think it will look good on a college app)

[@fakeruby333]

Yeh its alright. I was crazy about since seventh grade. But i am not good enough to get in.

[@isabellasmith4780]

me too! its my biggest dream

[@bubbles2980]

Jillian netzel im here xD all the way from nebraska xD

[@audreyxx7667]

me too!!!

[@monbebex633]

guys chill Stanford is known for being part of the Ivy League + Two lineup, she knows it as well as any of you do xD

[@Dr.Schlitz]

Stanford is not Ivy League, nor is it known for being part of the Ivy League. That doesn't say anything about the quality of Stanford, but it is a fact. Period. Full stop.

[@number2gamerz36]

@@Dr.Schlitz "ivy league plus 2 lineup"

[@artsyandy]

so so helpful oh myyy god thank u so much

[@aaronchow2366]

Wow!!! Thanks alot!

[@ThePinksparkle101]

Thank you so much for this video. You seem like the most genuine and passionate person and I'm sure you will to great no matter what university you choose to attend. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions regarding admissions. 1. How did you stand out from the thousands of other applicants in the admissions process? I remember you mentioned languages being your passion, so how did you incorporate that passion into your ECs and outside of school activities? 2. How did you manage to balance academics and ECs? I find this to be one of the hardest parts of high school and it does get a bit overwhelming and stressful :( Oh and btw, I totally agree that College Confidential is a toxic environment. I'm trying really hard to stop visiting that website.

[@danielledupreez]

1. I actually didn't have any language EC's other that doing linguistics reading in my free time, competing in NACLO (once), and studying foreign languages (which, except for Spanish, was just something I did in my free time and not formally). This was all self-reported, so really I didn't have any super concrete language EC's. Part of the reason for this was that I didn't realize that linguistics was a area of study until maybe midway through junior year. Where I think my linguistic interest was highlighted was in my essay, which was the story of the first time I spoke English and basically painted a picture of why language is important to me. This is part of the reason why I emphasize the essay is so important. I definitely believe that the admissions office was more charmed by essays that particularly impressed with any of my EC's. 2. To becompletely honest, I didn't feel that the load of EC's I took on strained my time-management skills (which are quite poor, btw). I was president of two clubs at my school and volunteered for most of my time during high school--none of these activities took up more than about 5 hours a week. Senior year I did the 17 hour a week EMT class in the first semester and the next semester I worked every week for 15-24 hours. I also maintained an exercise schedule during that time, going to the gym about 3 times a week for 1.5 hours at a time. Surprisingly, I found it was easier to manage my time during that time when I was super busy. I guess my point is, without trying to sound cocky or patronizing or anything like that, but I am one of the worst time-managers I know and I never particularly found it difficult to maintain up to even 20 hours a week of EC's. Maybe this is because I am lucky enough to test generally well with less studying than other students? Although, it takes me significantly longer than my peers to finish homework assignments. Maybe you play a varsity sport and work and participate in clubs? I never played a sport, and I only worked for a semester so I can't speak very well to playing a sport or playing a sport while working. Also, my school schedule was different, since as an Early College student I took college classes my junior and senior year, so I had a much less busy class schedule. I'd be interested to know more about your situation with your EC's so that I can give you more advice, because right now I don't think my own experience is particularly useful to you :( And you're right, CC is toxic! Stay away from it :P

[@ThePinksparkle101]

Thank you so much for your response! It really helped me out and gave me a perspective on how I should approach my high school years. Is there perhaps an email I can contact you with? I will list my current ECs through the email and I would love to get more advice!

[@danielledupreez]

My email is in the description!

[@kylenoe2234]

They're doing process of elimination. The college process for elite colleges U is mostly about not falling prey to those pitfalls that'll give the officers to put your into the sink pile. It's funny that this is key to getting admitted. Less about what you should do than about what you shouldn't do; it just gives them. A reason to move onto the next applicant. I reviewed an article examining actual cases and I emulated the one who was an obvious admit. And I ended up getting a likely letter from Stanford, among others. I didn't do my essays till the night they were due. I actually submitted my application 11. Minutes late and still I stood out. Of course I chose my essay topics very very carefully. I ended up focusing my app on my love m language and themed every aspect of my app toward that central idea. I stretched it kinda in throwing writing which I did for many of my extracurricular activities. I made my personal essay well personal. It was quite memorable I'll say, about. Cutting my hair as a freshman in highschool. It was meaningful and insightful and obviously left an impression and the thesis was that I didn't need a badge of individuality to know I'm an individual. I started the essay in dialogue of what ppl would say behind my back. I was a very strange person. Stanford likes strange ppl. They're the ones that'll change the world. They're the quirky things goes f perfectly along with the general narrative that makes Stanford unique and weird. Case in point: the Stanford band and its antics. The small essays were strange too...one about my love of constructing languages just for fun. The point was roomie don't get freaked out if you hear me speaking in 'satanic' tongues. I'm just practicing my languages sound. Began with a memorable line in my conlang and at the end I translate it and it was "I wear my neediness on my sleeve" btw I crafted b.s. line just to craft this essay.those were th highlights of my application. Wow go you! I feel like you're missing out on the superb linguistics program where the best and eve brightest linguists clustered here at Stanford. Example: Chomsky founded a school of thought uh linguistics and his students were all sent to the West coast to bring that school of thought to the West. Instead they each went and founded their own unique schools of thought...many of which have replaced the Chomsky school of thought in the general theory of the field. Ivan Sag Joan Bresnan and Tom Wasow were all profs that I studied under and that was awesome. But different strokes for different folks. Hope you pursue your passion at UNC which I don't recall having a linguistics department. May be wrong but that's my two cents.

[@reyrey4993]

This is golden 😅

[@tutuphan8382]

Your video was really good, and informational! And I was wondering if you had any advice for students going into high school who hope to go an Ivy League school or a school like Stanford?

[@danielledupreez]

+Tutu Phan My best advice for you would be to not base your high school experience on getting into a specific college. Strive for doing your best by your definition and not for a college application.

[@abigailcrisp3881]

hey, can you tell me about how you were able to be an EMT? did you do it as a sophmore or junior or senior?

[@onetime5710]

Basically Ivy league was just an football League between those universities

[@mariogotze6588]

What do you recommend for extra curriculars? I only have one.

[@catherineg16]

I've watched a bunch of "How to get into the Ivies" videos and everyone seems to have a passion for a specific subject (yours being linguistics), or a topic they're extremely good at/have a lot of experience in. Do you have any advice for someone like me who doesn't really know what they want to major in or what they want to do in the future, and doesn't have a part of them that stands out a lot? I'm just a student with good grades, decent test scores, a couple ECs and one or two state awards. Nothing that could really make an admissions officers go "wow"! How can I make myself "memorable"?

[@MoralGovernment]

Check out different jobs that you might be interested in. Shadow some people. Ask around, people are surprisingly willing to help.

[@alexastyles8699]

Catherine Gao a bit late, buuuut, have a killer essay! Something very well-written and extremely unique.

[@reese6235]

ty ty for putting on that shirt for me I rlly appreciate it

[@manishmor3528]

first 40 seconds and i subscribed

[@danielledupreez]

+Manish Mor you fab thanks

[@hamzakamran2485]

How can I transfer to Stanford? Im on my first year of community college. I got into some top schools in UK but they're expensive AF so Im now attending a community college in California. What can I do to really increase my chances of going to stanford and stand out. (I had and still have a 4.0+ gpa.)

[@CrisMadla]

Shoot, I've never heard of these acronyms! 😂 All I did was ask myself what I wanna do and I decided I wanna make an impact in the world and I just need the tools! I just like working with intelligent people cause they make me better! :p

[@zaralicious]

I really wanted to apply REA but unfortunately I won't be able to send in my subject test scores in time for the due date. This may be a stupid question LOL but do you think I should still apply REA or does it put me at a strong disadvantage without subject test scores and I should instead apply regular decision? I just wanted to hear a successful early applicant's opinion haha. I'm also an international student, if that means anything. Thank you and congrats GURL!!!

[@danielledupreez]

I would go for RD, just because you may end up putting yourself at a disadvantage. Subject test scores aren't so important necessarily, but if a college strongly recommends you do something, it's pretty much that they expect you to do it, right? And you want to give yourself the best chance from the start, so why apply at a time that you're missing something that is essentially required? That's just my logic. Best of luck! I'm sure you'll be fine!

[@favour3802]

Nice video!!!!!!

[@octopus3372]

how did you start doing IOL? thanks for this video, it was really helpful :)

[@danielledupreez]

+Jesse Guzman I just googled it and signed up! lol

[@artliil5687]

thank you

[@bexultanmyrzatay7588]

"I chose no to go to Stanford," - LOL)

[@ereshkigalinanna6646]

Would you be willing to connect us with your essay? Of course, each person's essay will be very different, but (if it's not too personal) I would be really curious to see what you wrote. Thank you!

[@ereshkigalinanna6646]

Also curious about your academic track/focus

[@danielledupreez]

+Rish Inanna Email me and I will send it to you!

[@ismaaeel8957]

Hi I was just wondering what math you took freshman year of high school

[@danielledupreez]

Geometry and Pre-Calc

[@mehnazt4801]

Which schools did you apply to and get accepted to? And what were your SAT scores? :)

[@danielledupreez]

+Maya Teaker I applied to UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Harvard, MIT, WashU, Stanford, Berkley, UCLA, and USC. I recieved full rides at UNC and Duke, was waitlisted at Harvard and WashU, rejected from MIT and accepted everywhere else.

[@danielledupreez]

+AP Queen And my superscore was 2310, single sitting was 2280.

[@mehnazt4801]

Thank you so much! :)

[@hnhcho]

Mehnaz T what is a super score?

[@veganteen8609]

Yes, go vegan!!!! OMG, I can't believe you said that! :)

[@alexandritta23]

Is the interview guaranteed? In other words, does every applicant have to go through the interview process, or only if you get selected?

[@willpaisley2470]

The interview process is only given randomly based on the amount of available alumni interviewers, my dad is an alumnus interviewer and literally does 100 a year cause there are not enough people to do them so don't worry if you weren't "selected" for one, it's random

[@danielledupreez]

+alexandra abal Not everyone gets an interview, but most people do (outside of California). Whether or not you get an interview is about logistics with your interviewer, not about anything in your application!

[@alexandritta23]

Ohhh ok thank you!

[@mauijen6085]

go vegan yaaaass

[@danielledupreez]

+Maui Jen Yaaas

[@brandonplowman8125]

btw I love your doggo

[@danielledupreez]

me too ^_^

[@kylenoe2234]

They prefer kids who appear to have a genuine passion for a specific subject... like language whatever. Plus i didn't submit my application til after the deadline bc i waited till the extreme last moment to write my essays... Submited an hour late and i got a likely letter. Hm

[@savannahcastellano7005]

Awesome vid with great tips! Thanks! But just for future reference Stanford isn't an ivy league school :)

[@danielledupreez]

+elizabeth thatcher Thanks! And haha yeah I know, but Stanford is considered on par with Ivy League schools so I just said that. What I meant was Ivy League + Stanford + MIT.

[@JyoPari]

Is a 4.5 weighted gpa, good enough?

[@metanoia9004]

If your gpa is above 3.8 your good, but over 4 is great, but youll need good sat score as well

[@JyoPari]

I not sure for stanford, you need something around a 4.6-4.7

[@metanoia9004]

Jyo Pari I think people think you need a really good gpa, no, if you show that you took challenging courses and got a good gpa like 4.3, your fine. And I would rather have a 1500-1600 sat with 4.3 than a 1300 with a 4.6. I would rather spend time on my sat

[@metanoia9004]

Jyo Pari and did you even watch the video, their not looking for someone with an excellent gpa or all rounder, they want someone who is unique, not someone who just has a 4.6-4.7 gpa.

[@JyoPari]

I know my passion is Computer Science and I really want to make the olympiad for computer science, and I might have a strong chance, never the less you still need a high gpa.

[@lily14130]

Every time you said the name of a big contest or program I got triggered :P

[@jamesmcload1137]

Stanford is not an Ivy League school. Stanford admission rescinded.

[@danielledupreez]

good thing I got them before they could get me

[@javiervillalpando9837]

Am now a junior at your school and i know exactly what you mean XD

[@danielledupreez]

Legit. Good luck with your college transition :D

[@centuryfiles9558]

1. be smart

[@msflystuff282]

Do you have any social media? :)

[@danielledupreez]

+msflystuff282 @derpreez is my insta!

[@aniaabasi3775]

HeyO 🤔🤗

[@bexultanmyrzatay7588]

You are very beautiful btw :D

[@somedaymaybeyt4048]

wait so which school u going to

[@danielledupreez]

+ilike pi UNC!

[@somedaymaybeyt4048]

why? you never made that next video

[@danielledupreez]

+ilike pi I've been sick for weeks, but as soon as I'm well I will make it!

[@somedaymaybeyt4048]

AP Queen ok looking forward to it

[@bhumiboladulyadejshakya3507]

The worst part of my life is my GPA 😭 it's 3.35 😭

[@danielledupreez]

+shakya bhumibol shakya The worst part of your life is the depths of the suffering you have had to endure or will endure. I don't mean to sound patronizing, but your life is more than school, and if you don't feel that that's true, it would be to your benefit to change something in your actions or perspective. 3.35 does not by any means indicate incompetence, but perhaps if you are struggling in school, not with your grades but with your perception of them, being put in a more challenging environment without being emotionally prepared to deal with lower grades (many of which contain a significant component of arbitrariness, some of which reflect your effort and proficiency) may not be the best move for your mental and emotional health, and may not be optimal for your growth as a person both intellectually and otherwise. I apologize for attaching a relatively lengthy reply to a comment you were probably not meaning to be taken literally, but I just wanted to underscore a point I feel is very important. Best wishes 💕

[@bhumiboladulyadejshakya3507]

+AP Queen thanks for your advice, but i still have 4 more exams left. so i can improve on those 😀

[@lukecarrick458]

Stanford isn't an Ivy League

[@dudefromnowhere815]

Danielle, I am very surprised that you did not choose to go to Stanford. I would have suggested that you contact the Admissions Office to see if they would match your UNC Scholarship. Top Universities are superior to even the best State schools. You mentioned in another video that you realized during a summer program that your classmates were irrelevant to your educational experience. You reached the wrong conclusion. Your conclusion should have been that the students that attended that summer program were undisciplined, and were of lower quality. Ivy League students would make sure to get maximum benefit from any academic program rather than blow off homework like you observed them do.

[@armitahosseini8683]

But Stanford is not an Ivy League 😹

[@itslayth]

stanford isn't an ivy league school lol

[@danielledupreez]

+itslayth I know, but its acceptance rate and educational quality is on par with if not beyond that of the Ivies so that's why I referred to it that way.

[@thatPSNguy99]

AP Queen Tell em, girl!

[@jamesrockford2626]

You don't look that bad here

[@danielledupreez]

+James Rockford lol

[@Emily31662]

Stanford is not an Ivy League.... lol

[@danielledupreez]

So they all tell me...

[@kylenoe2234]

Cringe

[@__8023]

"I think Stanford is by far the best Ivy League school"